Manufacture of tubular trimming



Jan. 7, 1958 V. J. SIGODA MANUFACTURE OF TUBULAR TRIMMING 2 Sheets-Sheet1 File d Jun 1, 1950 T TOR/V5)? Jan; 7, 1958 v. J. SIGODA- MANUFACTUREOF TUBULAR TRIMMING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 1, 1959 14 7' TOR/VEXINVENTOR l/zcramlmoon United States Patent MANUFACTURE F" TUBULAR'IRIlVIMING Victor J. Sigoda, Great Neck, N; Y., assignor to Man-SewCorporation, New York, N. Y.,. a corporation of New York ApplicationJunel, 1950, Serial No. 165,555

16 Claims. (Cl.,112--136) This invention relates to sewing machineattachments for sewing strips of fabric into a turned tubular trimmingin which thestitching is concealed and the manner of producing the samewhereby the usual feed mechanism of the sewing machine may be simplyutilized to draw the turned tubing from the folder after stitching andturning.

Such tubular trimmings are produced by passing a continuous strip ofmaterial through a folder so that the strip is folded longitudinallyalong its centerline and so that A the opposite longitudinal edges arein superposed relationship, in which state the edges are seamed togetherby the stitching mechanism of the sewing machine, following which thesewn tubing is inverted to conceal the stitched edges within the tubingand the finished trimming is drawn from the machine.

Thenature and objects of the invention will become apparent from thedescription which follows, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of asewing machine with an attachmentembodying the invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the attachment mounted on a modifiedthroat plate of the machine, the modified presser foot having beenomitted to show the rearward disposition of the feed dog with respect tothe needle;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 2, partly in section,taken on line 3-3 of Fig; 2, to show the lift arrangement for a holddownmember which is a feature of the improved attachment:

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view corresponding to Fig. 3, showing theextreme open position of the holddown membe when the feed bar of themachine reaches its highest position;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a strip of fabric to show its path oftravel through the folder, the fabric strip being shown as it wouldactually appear on its passage through the folder, the folder structurehaving been omitted and the sewn tubing having been partly broken-awayto illustrate the improved method of producing the trimming so that itmaybe drawn through .the folder by means of the usual feed mechanism ofthe sewing machine;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section taken on line 66 of Fig.1, showing the modified feed members and their position with respect tovthe needle;

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged, cross-sectional detail views taken onlines 7--7, 88 and 99 of Fig. 3.

The portions of the sewing machine shown in Fig. l comprise the usualbedplate 10, the. upright 11, the arm 12, and the head 13 which. carriesthe usual needle bar 14 and needle 15 and the presser foot bar 16supporting the modified presser foot 17, which is raised by the handlifter 18.

The. usual slide andthroat plates are replaced. by combined plate 20.which is held on the. machine by screws. 21. Plate, 20, as best showni-nFig. 3 hasa cutout 22 in which is received a. portion, of, the folder,generally designated as; 30,. which. projects. therethrough. to. form aneedle plate ICC 36 which lies in the planeof plate 20 and is providedwith a hole 37 through which the needle passes during the stitchingoperation. Groove 24 in plate 20 accommodates a tubular member 32secured to folder 30. Plate 20 is also provided with slots through whichmodified feed dog, 25 may operate rearwardl'y of the stitching action.Cutout 22 and groove 24 permit folder 30 to be mounted low down on themachine and close to the, hook, thus facilitating cooperation of thestitch forming mechanism as well as affording a minimum of interferenceto the passage of work and a maximum of freedom to the-machine operator.

Feed dog 25 is secured to the usual feed bar 26 by screws 27, andcooperates with modified presser foot 17 to draw the finished invertedtubular trimming rearwardly from the machine in the manner common formost sewing, but which is novel in the manufacture of this type oftrimming. As best shown in Fig. 6, these members are mounted to operatesome distance rearwardly of the stitching operation but in linetherewith.

Folder 30 is secured to plate 20 by screws 31 and disposed so that thefabric strip is fed into the folder at an angle to the line of feed,from one side thereof, rear wardly of the needle action, so that thelongitudinally folded strip must move forwardly toward the operator tothe stitching mechanism for seaming the superposed longitudinal edges ofthe strip.

Folder 30 has a. tension ladder 33 attached to a channelled guideportion 34 which extends at an angle to the line of stitching. Thisguide portion 34 abuts anose piece 35 which is disposed adjacent to, butrearwardly of needle 15. Referring to Fig. 5, in which the folderstructure has been omitted for clarity in comprehending how the strip isinitially folded, inverted and'refolded, sewn, and then reinverted anddirected tothe feed mechanism of the sewing machine, the portion of thefabric strip shown at the left is the portion which would normally liewithin the channelled guide portion 34. As the strip passes throughsection 34, the line of such movement being indicated by thehorizontally disposed arrow at the left, it will be-folded along itscenterline, lengthwise, progressively as it travels through guide'3'4toward the line of stitching.

Nose portion 35 is designed so that such a folded strip may then beturned to travel at a'right'angle to its former direction of movement,which change in direction is in.- dicated by the vertically disposedarrow. This isaccomplished by inverting the folded strip overan edge ofnose 35. This edge lies at an angle of forty-five degrees to the initialline of travel of the strip and also to the line of' stitching. Thisinversion is best seen in Fig. 5.

At the inversion, the longitudinal strip edges are refolded lengthwise,and the refolded strip is then fed'past the needle 15 (see therelativeposition of .the' needle indicated at 15 in Fig. 5)., whereupon theedges are seamed together in the well known manner as the tubing travelsforwardly toward the operator; If the tubing were to be taken from themachine'at this stage, it would have an exposed line of stitching.

Since this. is undesirable, the operator inserts the beginning of thistubing into tube. 32 witha wire or any other suitable pusher, therebyinverting the tubing, which conceals the stitching. Enough of theinverted tubing is threaded through tube 3 2 so that the tubing can beacted upon by the feed members 17 and-'25, whereupon in running themachine, the finished inverted tubing will be continuously drawnrearwardly from the machine by the action of such feed elements; Thearrows in Fig. 5 indicate the second inversion and the rearward feedingof the finished tubing.

Tube 32 is secured to folder 30 so that it lies parallel to the line ofstitching, and it extends forwardly of the needle toward the operatorfor some distance. A circular member'38 partly surrounds tube 32 toassist in guiding the inverted and refolded strip as it passes abouttube 32 forwardly toward and past the needle 15 on its way to beinverted by passing into tube 32. 'Guide' 38 is supplemented by theinner curved surface 3 9 of holddown member 42.

It will be noted that presser foot 17 differs from the conventionalpresser foot so that it cooperates with feed dog 25 some distancerearwardly of the stitching operation. Hence, the holddown functionnormally exercised by the portion of the presser foot that usuallysurrounds the needle is absent, and accordingly, the Work would be freeto float or ride upwardly and downwardly with the needle. The loss ofthe holddown function is usually' the cause of missed stitches and otherdefects in the work. Accordingly, a novel element has been provided toperform this function.

Folder 30 carries a support 40, a portion of which 41 is adapted to actas a shaft for a holddown member 42 which is pivotally mounted thereon.Member 42 extends away from shaft 41 over tube 32 and at its free end,it is formed as a clamp portion 46 which cooperates with needleplate 36to hold the superposed longitudinal edges of the strip from moving withthe needle 15. Suitable clearance 49 is provided in clamp portion 46about the needle 15.

Normally, holddown member 42 is urged downwardly into engagement withneedleplate 36 by the tension exerted by spring 44. The tension may besuitably adjusted by rotating a locking collar 45 in which one end ofspring 44 is retained. I

In order to permit the work to be acted upon by the feed mechanism sothat it can be drawn to the stitching mechanism, provision is made todisengage clamp 46 from needleolate 36 in proper timed relationship. Ascrew stud 50 is threaded into holddown member 42, in which it may beretained in any adjusted position by locknut 51. The lower end of stud50 rests on a suitable surface of feed dog 25, and accordingly may beraised thereby. When the needle 15 has been withdrawn from the work,feed dog 25 begins to rise in the usual manner, and as it does so, clamp46 is lifted to the open position shown in Fig. 4, and the work can thenbe drawn by the feeding mechanism forwardly towards the operator. As thefeed dog 25 is lowered for the next stitch, clamp 46 is firmly presseddownwardly on the work by spring 44, and the superposed edges aresecurely held during the stitching action.

The method and manner of directing the strip through the folder and thearrangement of the folder with respect to the stitching and feedmechanisms are novel. In the prior art, arrangements have been shownwhereby the tubular trimming could be produced in a folder and invertedin a tubular portion thereof, as typically in Woehrle, Patent 988,528,of April 4, 1911. In such arrangements, the usual feed members areemployed to draw the folded longitudinal edges rearwardly to thestitching mechanism in the conventional manner, following which, thetubing would be inverted and passed through a tubular member resembling32 hereof. However, the finished tubing would then be drawn by handtowards the operator continually. The rate of production therefordepends upon the endurance of the operator in such arrangements.

Efforts have been made to relieve the operator of this tedious burden,as typically shown in the patents to Seaman, 2,256,792 and 2,256,793, ofSeptember 23, 1941. While these disclose arrangements whereby the feedmechanism of the sewing machine may be employed, that of the instantapplication is simpler and more effective.

This is made possible by a new and unobvious approach to the problem,whereby the folded longitudinal edges of the strip are fed forwardly tothe needle, in-

- and direct a fabric strip forwardly to the stitching mechstead ofrearwardly as has been consistently done in the prior art.

This change permits the finished tubing to be drawn rearwardly from themachine by means of the usual feed mechanism, with only slightmodification. Provision of the holddown member makes for positiveoperation of the stitching mechanism, and eliminates the possibility ofthe work floating with the needle.

What has been disclosed is an attachment for any conventional sewingmachine whereby it can be readily converted to the automatic productionof inverted tubular trimming by substitution of the conventional slideand throat plates, presser foot and feed dog with the modified elementsdescribed and illustrated herein. Such conversion may be quickly andeasily made without im pairing the construction or operation of themachine.

While the present preferred embodiment has been described in detail forthe purpose of illustration,'it is to understood that the invention isnot to be limited to the details of construction shown and described,but is to be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed, is:

1. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism, afeeding mechanism including a feed dog, a first presser device includinga presser bar and a presser foot carried thereby, said feed dog and saidpresser foot being arranged and disposed substantially rearwardly of thestitch-forming mechanism but in line therewith, a folder mountedadjacent to and rearwardly of the stitching mechanism adapted to foldand direct a fabric strip along a path angularly intersecting the lineof stitching rearwardly of the stitch-forming mechanism and to invertand refol-d said strip and to direct it forwardly to the stitchingmechanism to be seamed thereby into a tubular trimming, a second presserdevice mounted in operative relation to said folder to cooperate with asurface adjacent the needle hole to hold said strip in fixed positionduring the seaming operation, means to disengage said second presserdevice during the feeding of said strip, and means adjacent the needlein which said trimming may be inserted to be inverted following seamingand directed rearwardly past the stitch-forming mechanism to be drawn bysaid feed members and from the machine.

2. In a sewing machine to produce stitched and turned tubular trimminghaving stitch forming mechanism, a presser device including a presserbar and a presser foot carried thereby, and a work feeding membercooperating therewith, wherein said presser foot and said feed memberare arranged and disposed substantially rearwardly of the stitch-formingmechanism but in line therewith, the combination with a folder mountedadjacent to and rearwardly of the stitching mechanism and adapted tofold and direct a fabric strip forwardly to the stitching mechanism tobe seamed into a tubular trimming thereby, means adjacent the needle inwhich said trimming may be inserted to be inverted and directedrearwardly past the stitch-forming mechanism to be drawn by said feedmembers, and a holddown member adapted to cooperate with a surface inthe vicinity of the needle action to hold the folded strip in positionduring the stitch-forming operation.

3. In a sewing machine to produce stitched and turned tubular trimminghaving stitch forming mechanism, a presser device including a presserbar and a presser foot carried thereby, and a work feeding membercooperating therewith, wherein said presser foot and said feed memberare arranged and disposed substantially rearwardly of the stitch-formingmechanism but in line therewith, the

combination with a folder mounted adjacent to and rearwardly of thestitching mechanism and adapted to fold anism to be seamed intoajtubulartrimming thereby, means adjacent the needle in'whichsaid trimming may beinserted to be inverted and directed rearwardly past the stitch-formingmechanism to be drawn by said feed members, a holddown member adapted tocooperate with a surface in the vicinity of the needle action to holdthe folded strip in position during the stitch-forming operation, andresilient means to normally urge said holddown member into engagementwith said surface,

4. -In a sewing machine to produce stitched and turned tubular trimminghaving stitch forming mechanism, a presser device including a presserbar and a presser foot carried thereby, and a work feeding membercooperating therewith, wherein said presser foot and said feed memberare arranged and disposed substantially rearwardly of the stitch-formingmechanism but in line therewith, the combination with a folder mountedadjacent to and rearwardly of the stitching mechanism and adapted tofold and direct a fabric strip forwardly to the stitching mechanism tobe seamed into a tubular trimming thereby, means adjacent the needle inwhich said trimming may be inserted to be inverted and directedrearwardly past the stitch-forming mechanism to be drawn by said feedmembers, a holddown member adapted to cooperate with a surface in thevicinity of the needle action to hold the folded strip in positionduring the stitch-forming operation, resilient means to normally urgesaid holddown member into engagement with said surface and means todisengage said holddown member from said surface while said feed memberis transporting the sewn tubular member.

5. In a sewing machine to produce stitched and turned tubular trimminghaving stitch forming mechanism, a presser device including a presserbar and a presser foot carried thereby, and a work feeding membercooperating therewith, wherein said presser foot and said feed memberare arranged and disposed substantially rearwardly of the stitch-formingmechanism but in line therewith, the combination with a folder mountedadjacent to and rearwardly of the stitching mechanism and adapted tofold and direct a fabric strip forwardly to the stitching mechanism tobe seamed into a tubular trimming thereby, means adjacent the needle inwhich said trimming may be inserted to be inverted and directedrearwardly past the stitch-forming mechanism to be drawn by said feedmembers, a holddown member adapted to cooperate with a surface in thevicinity of the needle action to hold the folded strip in positionduring the stitch-forming operation, resilient means to normally urgesaid holddown member into engagement with said surface, means todisengage said holddown member from said surface while said feed memberis transporting the sewn tubular member, said means comprising a memberconnecting the r holddown member and the feed member.

'6. In a sewing machine to produce stitched and turned tubular trimminghaving stitch forming mechanism, a presser device including a presserbar and a presser foot carried thereby, and a work feeding membercooperating therewith, wherein said presser foot and said feed memberare arranged and disposed substantially rear wardly of thestitch-forming mechanism but in line there with, the combination with afolder mounted adjacent to and rearwardly of the stitching mechanism andadapted to fold and direct a fabric strip forwardly to the stitchingmechanism to be seamed into a tubular trimming thereby, means adjacentthe needle in which said trimming may be inserted to be inverted anddirected rearwardly past the stitch-forming mechanism to be drawn bysaid feed members, a holddown member adapted to cooperate with a surfacein the vicinity of the needle action to hold the folded strip inposition during the stitch-forming operation, resilient means tonormally urge said holddown member into engagement with said, surfaceand means to disengage said holddown member from said surface while saidfeed member is transporting the sewn tubular member, said meanscomprising an adjustable stud connected with said holddown member andadapted, to contact said feed member.

7. A sewing machine attachment for producing turncd tubular trimminghaving concealed stitching, adapted. to be applied to a sewing machinehaving stitch-forming mechanism, a presser foot, a feed membercooperating therewith, and feed operating means, comprising abase plateto be mounted adjacent the needle, a folder mounted thereon, said folderhaving means to fold a fabric strip longitudinally along its centerlineand to direct said strip along a path angularly intersecting the normalline of feed of said sewing machine rearwardly of the stitchformingmechanism and means to invert and refold' said strip and to superposethe longitudinal edges thereof and to direct said strip forwardly to thestitch-forming mechanism of the sewing machine to be seamed thereby toform a tubular trimming, and a tubular guide member mounted on said baseplate adjacent said folder in which said trimming may be inserted to beinverted and directed in a path parallel to the line of stitchingWhereby'said trimming may be drawn rearwardly from the machine by thecoaction of the presser foot and feed member.

8. A sewing machine attachment for producing turned tubular trimminghaving concealed stitching, adapted to be applied to a sewing machinehaving stitch, forming mechanism including a reciprocating needle, and apresser foot and a cooperating feed dog operating substantiallyrearwardly but in line with the stitch-forming mechanism, comprising athroat plate having a portion cutout in the vicinity of the needleaction, a folder mounted on said throat plate having a portion fittingin said cutout adapted to act as a needleplate, said folder having achannel portion adapted to fold a fabric strip longitudinally along itscenterline and to direct said strip along a path angularly intersectingthe line of stitching of said sewing machine rearwardly of thestitch-forming mechanism, a second portion adapted to invert and refoldsaid strip longitudinally and to superpose the edges thereof inalinement and to direct said refolded strip forwardly to thestitch-forming mechanism to be seamed thereby to form a tubulartrimming, a member pivotally mounted on said folder having a portionadapted to cooperate with said needleplate portion of said folder tohold said strip in fixed position during the seaming operation, and atubular member mounted within said folder in which said trimming may beinserted to be inverted and directed rearwardly whereby it may be drawn.from the machine by the coaction of the presser foot and feed member.

9. In a sewing machine to produce stitched and turned tubular trimminghaving stitch forming mechanism, a presser bar, a presser foot carriedby said bar and a feed member, wherein said feed member and said presserfoot are disposed rearwardly of the stitch forming mechanism but in linetherewith, a throat, plate, a folder mounted thereon, said folder havinga portion adapted to fold a fabric strip longitudinally along itscenterline and to direct said strip'along a path angularly intersectingthe line of feed of said sewing machine rearwardly of the stitch formingmechanism, a second portion adapted to invert the folded longitudinaledges and to refold the strip longitudinally along its centerline sothat the inverted edges are superposed and to turn the refolded strip atan angle to its original path of travel and to direct it to move in aforward direction to the stitch forming mechanism of the sewing machineto be seamed thereby into a tubular trimming, a support mounted on saidfolder, a holddown member pivotally mounted on said support, said memberhaving a portion adapted to cooperate with asurface in the plane of thethroat plate in the vicinity of the needle hole to secure the superposededges during the seaming, and a tubular member mounted on said folderparallel to the line of stitching in which the tubular trimming may beinserted to be inverted and directed to be. drawn rearwardly from thestitch forming mechanism by the coaction of said presser foot and feedmember.

10. A sewing machine attachment adapted to been plied to a sewingmachine, having stitch. forming mechtv' nism, a presser device includinga presser bar carrying a presser foot, and feed mechanism ipcluding afeed dog, said presser foot and said feed dog being mounted forcooperation rearwardly of but in line with the stitching mechanism,comprising a throat plate, a folder carried thereby, said folder havingmeans to fold a fabric strip longitudinally along its centerline and todirect said strip along a path angularly intersecting the normal line offeed of said sewing machine rearwardly of the stitch-forming mechanism,additional means to invert and refold said strip and to superpose thelongitudinal edges thereof and to direct said strip forwardly to thestitch-forming mechanism of the sewing machine to be seamed thereby toform a tubular trimming, comprising a channel member mounted parallel tothe line of stitching, a tubular member mounted within said channelmember and a circular guide partly surrounding said tubular member, asupport mounted on said folder, 2 holddown member pivotally mounted onsaid support, said holddown member comprising an arm extending acrossthe line of stitching and having aportion thereof adapted to act as aclamp in conjunction with a surface surrounding the needle hole, saidportion having an inner surface adapted to complete the circular guidesurrounding the tubular member, said tubular member being adapted toreceive said trimming to be inverted by insertion therein and to directsaid trimming rearwardly past the stitch-forming mechanism to be drawnfrom the machine by the coaction of the presser foot and the feed dog.

11. A sewing machine attachment adapted to be applied to a sewingmachine having stitch forming mechanism, a presser device including apresser bar carrying a presser foot, and feed mechanism including a feeddog, said presser foot and said feed dog being mounted for cooperationrearwardly of but in line with the stitching mechanism, comprising athroat plate having slots through which the feed dog may operatearranged rearwardly a substantial distance behind but in line with theneedle action and a cutout portion surrounding the area in which theneedle reciprocates, a folder mounted on said throat plate and having aportion fitting into said cutout and adapted to act as a needle plateover which the work passes as it is stitched, a portion of said folderbeing mounted rearwardly of the stitch-forming mechanism and at an angleto the line of stitching, said portion being adapted to fold a fabricstrip longitudinally along its centerline and to direct it to the lineof stitching, a second portion adapted to turn and refold said strip andto direct it on a line parallel to the line of stitching toward thestitch-forming mechanism from the rear thereof to seam the folded stripas it passes the stitch-forming mechanism on its way to a tubular membercarried by said folder in which the sewn tubing may be inserted to beinverted and directed rearwardly past the stitch-forming mechanism to bedrawn from the machine by the coaction of the presser foot and feed dog,a support mounted on said folder, a holddown member pivotally mounted onsaid support, said holddown member having a clamping portion extendingacross the line of stitching and adapted to cooperate with the needleplate portion of the folder to secure the work against movement duringthe stitching operation, resilient means to normally hold said clampingportion in engagement with said needle plate portion of the folder, andmeans carried by said holddown member whereby it may be disengaged fromsaid needle plate portion by the upward movement of the feed mechanism.

12. The method of producing a turned tubular trimming in which thestitching is concealed, comprising folding a fabric strip longitudinallyalong its centerline right side out and guiding and directing saidfolded strip to travel along a path angularly intersecting the line ofstitching of a sewing machine rearwardly of the stitchforming mechanism,turning and directing said folded strip" to travel forwardly toward thestitch forming mechanism along a path at an angle to the initial path oftravel and at the same time inverting said folded strip and refolding itwrong side out and so that the longitudinal edges are superposed and inalinement to be seamed as the refolded strip is directed toward thestitch-forming mechanism, seaming said superposed edges, inverting thetubular trimming formed thereby right side out, and drawing saidtrimming in a path parallel to the line of stitching rearwardly past thestitch-forming mechanism.

13. In a sewing machine having a needle to stitch material passedthereunder and feed means including a feed dog and a presser footarranged in line with and disposed substantially rearwardly of theneedle, means for folding and directing a fabric strip to the needle tobe sewn into tubing and for thereafter inverting said tubing to concealthe stitching therein and for thereafter directing the inverted tubingto said feed means so that the fabric strip may be continuously drawnthrough said folding and inverting means for such operations, comprisingachannel angularly disposed to and intersecting the line of stitchingrearwardly of the needle through which a fabric strip may be drawn andfolded lengthwise, angularly disposed edges adjacent the outlet of saidchannel over which the folded fabric strip may be inverted to bedirected forward ly to the needle for stitching into a continuoustubing, and a tubular guide mounted within said edges and disposed on aline parallel to the line of stitching having an entrydisposed forwardlyof the needle and into which the tubing may be inserted to be inverted,and an outlet disposed rearwardly of the needle adjacent to and inposition to direct the emerging inverted tubing to the feed members.

14. A11 attachment for producing an inverted, tubular trimming havingconcealed stitching adapted to be affixed to the cloth plate of a sewingmachine having a needle for stitching material passed thereunder andfeed means including a feed dog and a presser foot arranged in line withand disposed substantially rearwardly of the needle, comprising a throatplate having a portion cut out in the vicinity of the needle action, anda folder mounted on said throat plate having a portion fitting into saidcutout and adapted to act as a needle plate, said folder having meansfor folding and directing a fabric strip to said needle to be sewn intoa continuous tubing and for thereafter inverting said tubing to concealthe sewn edges therein, and for thereafter directing the inverted tubingto said feed means to draw the fabric strip through the folding andinverting means for such operations, comprising a channel angularlydisposed to and intersecting the line of stitching rearwardly of theneedle through which a fabric strip may be drawn and folded lengthwise,angularly disposed edges adjacent the outlet of said channel over whichthe folded fabric strip may be inverted to be directed forwardly to theneedle for stitching into a continuous tubing, and a tubular guidemounted within said edges and disposed on a line parallel to the line ofstitching, said guide having an entry disposed forwardly of the needleand into which the tubing may be inserted to be inverted and an outletdisposed rearwardly of the needle adjacent to and in position to directthe emerging tubing to the feed members.

15. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming mechanism, afeeding mechanism including a feeddog, a presser-device including apresser-bar and a presser-foot carried thereby to cooperate with saidfeeddog, said feed-dog and said presser-device being arranged anddisposed substantially rearwardly of the stitchforming mechanism but inline therewith, a member mounted adjacent to and rearwardly of thestitch-forming mechanism having one portion adapted to fold. and directa fabric strip along a path angularly intersecting the line of stitchingrearwardly of the stitch-forming mechanism, another portion angularlydisposedv adjacent the first portion to' invert and refold said strip.and to direct it forwardly to the stitching-forming mechanism to beseamed thereby into a tubular trimming, and a tubular guide membermounted within the second portion and disposed parallel to the line ofstitching, in which guide said trimming may be inserted to be invertedand directed rearwardly past the stitch-forming mechanism to be drawn bysaid feed members from the machine.

16. Apparatus for producing a turned, tubular trimming in which thestitching is concealed, in conjunction with a sewing machine havingstitch-forming and feed mechanisms; comprising, means for folding afabric strip longitudinally along its centerline right side out; meansfor guiding and directing said folded strip to travel along a pathangularly intersecting the line of stitching produced by said sewingmachine rearwardly of the stitch-forming mechanism; means for turningand directing said folded strip to travel forwardly toward thestitch-forming mechanism along a path at an angle to the initial path oftrave1; said means also being adapted to simultaneously invert saidfolded strip and to refold it wrong side out with its longitudinal edgessuperposed and in alinement for seaming by the stitch-forming mechanismof the sewing machine; said means also being adapted to direct therefolded strip toward the stitch-forming mechanism for seaming thereby;means for inverting the sewn tubular trimming thus formed right sideout; said means also being adapted to direct said trimming rearwardlypast the stitch-forming mechanism parallel to the line of stitching.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,240,754 MoflYatt Sept. 18, 1917 1,630,617 Iewett May 31, 19271,982,467 Daniel Nov. 27, 1934 2,107,837 Robbins Feb. 8, 1938 2,256,792Seaman Sept. 23, 1941 2,256,793 Seaman Sept. 23, 1941 2,534,534 LenterDec. 19, 1950

